Vegan Chipotle Mayo & Air-Fryer French Fries

Allergy-free eating can be a struggle sometimes because so much of the flavor we are used to comes from all of the things we have had to eliminate due to allergies. This missing piece can make eating a little boring and a constant reminder at meal time that you have a restricted diet. I am especially aware of this because my four year-old has a limited list of safe-ingredients, but has been looking for big, bold flavors since he began to eat solid food.

An easy way to get big flavors without lots of ingredients and allergens is adding homemade sauces and dressings. I add sauces to proteins, pastas, salads, and veggies to up to the flavor in a pinch. Keeping a jar of a sauce in your fridge can make quick meals and snacks so much more doable too. We often live on what I call "component meals," especially for my lunches. I try to keep the fridge stocked with rice, quinoa, or potatoes, along with roasted veggies, and cooked proteins (ground turkey, shredded chicken, etc.), along with some sort of a healthy fat (avocado, seeds, olives, etc.) and everyday I can throw a different combination of these foods together and add a different sauce or dressing and it makes the meal feel so complete and filling. This also helps to make executing balanced meals for all of us a little more feasible. I have ready-to-go carbs, proteins, and fats at any moment. I like to think of stocking my fridge like a Chipotle food line - most of us like going to a restaurant where we can move down the line and tell them what we want them to add to our salad, bowl, or burrito. There's no reason why we can't have this type of set-up at home too! It might not be quite as extensive as a restaurant, but you get the idea. All this to say, having a sauce or dressing to quickly add can easily make the entire meal way more exciting and enjoyable to eat.

I'm not sure this even qualifies as a recipe since there are only two ingredients, but in case you never thought to combine mayo and chipotle peppers in your own kitchen, you should do it! There are so many variations of vegan mayo so the consistency of this chipotle mayo will be different depending upon which one you use. I made this recipe with the Thrive Market vegan mayo that is made from chickpeas and fava bean and it's fairly thin, but it's perfect for drizzling. My favorite vegan mayo brand for everyday use on sandwiches, chicken salad, coleslaw, etc. is Follow Your Heart Veganaise (Soy Free). I will be using that one next to make this chipotle mayo for his sandwiches and dressings! If you want to use this as more of a sauce, rather than a mayo, just slowly add water in small increments to thicken it, and blend until it gets to the consistency you are looking for. I originally made this chipotle mayo to drizzle over BBQ chicken wings that I made in the Instant Pot and air fryer (it was the perfect compliment to the wings!) but I've been using it on sandwiches, protein, pastas, and veggies to up the flavor in a pinch. I also added ketchup to it for a dipping sauce when we had homemade french fries (recipe for both the French fries and ketchup below) the past week. So yummy! Be sure to add this to your Memorial Day BBQ line-up this weekend!

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes Yields: 1 cup VEGAN CHIPOTLE MAYO

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup vegan mayo 4 small chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (use 2-3 peppers to lower spice level)

1. Add vegan mayo and chipotle peppers to small blender (I used a Nutribullet). 2. Blend for 30 seconds until peppers are blended well and mayo is smooth. 3. Serve or store in container in fridge for up to 7 days.

Recipe Notes:

1. Egg-based or any other mayo can be used if there are no allergies, although the consistency may vary.

2. This mayo definitely has heat, but is not extremely spicy. My boys eat relatively spicy food with no issues and were ok with the spice level of this mayo. You can tone down the heat even more by using only 2-3 chipotle peppers. Using any fewer does not really allow the chipotle flavor to come through.

3. To make a dipping sauce for French fries, add 1/2 cup ketchup for every cup of chipotle mayo and stir well.

AIR-FRYER FRENCH FRIES

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 16 minutes Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

4 medium russet potatoes

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1. Cut potatoes into 1/2" wedges. Place in zip-top plastic bag or reusable container with lid. 2. Add olive oil, paprika, and garlic salt to bag/container. Seal and shake until oil and seasoning evenly coats all potato wedges.

3. Place potato wedge in air fryer basket and spread as much as possible to allow for even cooking and crispiness.

4. Set to French fry setting on air fryer (mine is 400 degrees for 16 minutes). Stop halfway and shake the basket to allow even cooking on all French fries.

5. Remove when French fries are cooked through in middle and crispy/browned on outside. Immediately sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

Recipe Notes:

1. Avocado oil or another oil with a high smoke-point can be substituted for the olive oil.

2. If you do not have an air fryer, these can be baked in the oven on a lined baking sheet at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until they are cooked through and crispy/browned on the outside. Flip French fries over halfway through to ensure even cooking.